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The trick to extend the life of front pads is ALWAYS clean and adjust the back shoes when replacing the front pads. It only takes ten minutes, but doubles (at least) the life of the pads. This from a GM master mechanic. For the kids: Left foot braking is pretty cool. When the back end starts to get a bit light on a fast corner with limited traction, firm pressure on both the gas and brake will usually save a trip to the bushes. The hand brake reduces turning distances about as well as the individual foot brakes on a tractor. This makes for nifty one-lane u-turns and some interesting, though controllable, tracks on a snow-covered parking lot. Beware of slush-covered roads and high speeds. This is one area where a front wheel drive car is much worse for traction than a rear drive. Lane changes on slush are a nightmare, the reason I gave up the Jetta for a succession of Volvos in the days before 4WD's. Oh yeah, and beware the new front wheel drives of more than 150 hp. My friend's Nissan Maxima nearly got away on me sideways on dry pavement when I called on all 264 hp. I knew Audis like to hop around on acceleration, but this thing just about turned inside out!
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